Roofing shingle

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a roof shingle comprising a shingle with at least one layer having a head lap and a butt, the head lap including at least one alignment notch and the butt including at least one corner that corresponds to the alignment notch. Also, the present invention provides a roofing shingle comprising at least one layer formed from a cutting cylinder having a circumference that is a fraction of said roofing shingle length. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the inventive shingles and a method for installing the inventive shingles upon a roofing area.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a roofing shingle having the bulk andconfiguration of more expensive roofing shingles. The inventive roofingshingle has the appearance of thicker shingles and has excellent fireresistance and protections against weathering, while retaining thesubstantially reduced cost of conventional asphalt shingles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Roofing shingles comprising felt of fabric stock impregnated withasphalt and covered with weather resistant mineral granules are wellknown, heretofore such shingles have served as relatively inexpensivealternatives to tile, slate and wood roofing shingles.

Roofing shingles have been utilized in many forms with rectangular,hexagonal, square and irregular tabs and tab recesses; providing a flatappearance that does not resemble more expensive and aestheticallypleasing roof coverings such as slate or tile. Even when tabs ofdistinguishing hue are employed, the shingle does not achieve the tonalaffects inherent in natural slate shingles.

Manufacturers of asphalt shingles have long recognized the aboveproblems and have sought to improve the appearance of asphalt shinglesby various means including, for example, the use of many colors andvariations in the configuration or elevation of the tabs. Attempts havealso been made to produce irregular surface contours, which would givethe shingle a bulkier appearance.

In an attempt to provide dimensional variation through shading, threelayer composite shingles having mixed color tabs with shadow outlinedbacker strips have been produced; however, the cost of producing thethree layer composite shingles, together with the expense of shippingand installing these heavier shingles, is high.

Accordingly, asphalt shingles heretofore available are at a competitivedisadvantage with the more expensive roofing shingles because suchshingles lack a bulky edge profile, surface contour and color blendswhich are characteristic of slate and wood shingles.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a relativelyinexpensive roofing shingle that has the appearance of thicker moreexpensive shingles, which have eluded those skilled in the art. Anotherobject of the present invention is to provide roofing, which is bothaesthetically pleasing and resistant to weathering. Yet another objectof the present invention is to provide a shingle, which facilitatesinstallation on a roof. These and other objects of the invention willbecome apparent from the following description and disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of this invention pertains to a two-layer composite,asphalt impregnated shingle having superior weather resistance and anaesthetic appearance, which closely simulates a variable thickness slatesurface.

In broad terms, the present invention is a laminated two-layer compositeroofing shingle comprising:

-   -   a posterior layer having a posterior headlap and a plurality of        posterior tabs; and    -   an anterior layer, positioned on the posterior layer, having an        anterior headlap including at least one alignment notch and at        least one anterior tab extending from the anterior headlap,        where at least one anterior tab is positioned located on the        plurality of posterior tabs.

The posterior layer may comprise a plurality of tabs extending from aposterior headlap. The bottom tab edges of posterior layer may be curvedor straight and the tab corners can be cropped or can be formed byright, obtuse or acute angles. The posterior layer tabs have a granularsurface in which the granules contribute to the coloring of the roof.The butt edge of the posterior layer tabs may include a shadow tip,which is formed using granules having a contrasting shade to thecoloring granules covering the majority of the posterior tabs. Theposterior layer may also include a shadow band positioned across thelength of the posterior layer sheet, where the shadow band is positionedat an interface between the posterior headlap section and the posteriortabs.

The anterior layer may comprise of an anterior layer headlap includingalignment notched regions and at least one anterior tab. The tabs of theanterior layer include colored granules that also contribute to thecoloring of the roof. The alignment notched regions may be present inthe regions of the anterior headlap, which do not include anterior tabregions. The breadth of the tabs of the anterior layer may be narrowerthan the breadth of the tabs of the posterior layer. The number of tabsin the anterior layer is generally less than the number of tabs in theposterior layer.

Joining the anterior layer and posterior layer forms the compositeshingle. The anterior layer is positioned on the posterior layer.Generally, the butt of the posterior layer extends past the butt of theanterior layer and the head region of the anterior region extends pastthe head region of the posterior layer.

In another example of the present invention, the laminated two-layercomposite roofing shingle may comprise:

-   -   a posterior layer having a posterior headlap and a plurality of        posterior tabs; and    -   an anterior layer formed from a cutting cylinder having a        circumference that is a fraction of the two-layer composite        roofing shingle length, positioned on said posterior layer,        having an anterior headlap including at least one alignment        notch and at least one anterior tab extending from said anterior        headlap, said at least one anterior tab is positioned on said        plurality of posterior tabs.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing theabove-described two-layer composite shingle. In broad terms, theinventive method comprises:

-   -   applying colored granules to an asphalt coated sheet;    -   cutting the asphalt coated sheet by rotating a cutting cylinder        to produce an anterior layer, wherein the cutting cylinder        circumference is a fraction of the two layer composite shingle        length and wherein rotating the cutting cylinder produces a        substantially repeating pattern in the anterior layer;    -   cutting the asphalt coated sheet by rotating a second cutting        cylinder to produce a posterior layer; and    -   joining the anterior layer to the posterior layer to form the        two-layer composite shingle.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method for installing theabove described two-layer composite shingle to a roofing surface. Inbroad terms the inventive method of installation comprises the steps of:

-   -   a) affixing a course of two-layer composite shingles to a        portion of a roofing area; each two-layer composite shingle        includes a posterior layer having a plurality of posterior tabs        extending from an undivided headlap where the plurality of        posterior tabs have cropped corners and an anterior layer having        an anterior headlap which includes an alignment notch and at        least one anterior tab;    -   b) affixing another course of the two-layer composite shingle to        a remaining portion of the roof area and on a portion of a        previously shingled portion having the two-layer composite        shingles, where the cropped corners of the two-layer composite        shingles of the other course align with the alignment notches of        the two-layer composite shingles in the previously shingled        portion of said roof; and    -   c) repeating step b) N times until the roofing area is covered        with the two-layer composite shingles.

A second embodiment of the present invention is a roof shinglecomprising a shingle with at least one layer having a head lap and abutt, the head lap including at least one alignment notch and the buttincluding at least one corner that corresponds to the alignment notch.The roof shingle can have at least one alignment notch that can becropped or can be formed by right, obtuse or acute angles to correspondto a side of the alignment notch. This embodiment can be for a singleply or multi-ply shingle.

A third embodiment of the present invention is a roofing shinglecomprising at least one layer formed from a cutting cylinder having acircumference that is a fraction of said roofing shingle length. Thisembodiment can be for a single ply or multi-ply shingle.

The present invention also provides for a method for manufacturing theinventive shingles and a method for installing the inventive shinglesupon a roofing area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-14, 23-25 are front elevational views depicting the variousembodiments of the roofing shingle.

FIG. 1( a) is a front elevational view depicting the anterior layer ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 1( b) is a front elevational view depicting the posterior layer ofFIG. 1.

FIGS. 15-18 are side elevational views depicting the various embodimentsof the roofing shingle.

FIGS. 19-21 are back elevational views depicting the various embodimentsof the roofing shingle.

FIG. 22 depicts a plurality of the inventive two-layer compositeembodiment installed on a roofing area.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is noted that in the accompanying drawings like and/or correspondingelements are referred to by like reference numerals. In addition, thedifferent shadings of the individual layers in the drawings are notintended to signify a particular color value or intensity but only toindicate color contrasts between the layers and each individual layermay be lighter or darker than the shadings indicate, however a colorcontrast between the layers is optionally employed. It is further notedaspects of the invention are described in the “two layer embodiment” arebut in no way limited to this embodiment and apply to each embodiment ofthe present invention.

The first embodiment of the present invention, which relates totwo-layer composite roofing shingles having the appearance of a variablethickness, will now be described in greater detail by referring to thedrawings that accompany the present application.

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1-14, illustrating front elevationalviews of the inventive two-layer composite shingle having an anteriorlayer 11 and a posterior layer 12, where the anterior layer 11 ispositioned on the posterior layer 12. The anterior layer 11 andposterior layer 12 are each constructed from granular surface asphaltsheets. In a preferred embodiment, each shingle 10 has a length L offrom about 30″ to about 42″ and a width W of from about 12″ to about19″.

Referring to FIG. 1( a), the anterior layer 11 comprises an anteriorheadlap 13 and a butt that includes at least one anterior tab 16extending from the anterior headlap 13. FIGS. 1-4 depict two-layercomposite shingles having an anterior layer 11 that includes threeanterior tabs 16. FIGS. 5-8 depict two-layer composite shingles havingan anterior layer 11 that includes one anterior tab 16. FIGS. 9-14depict a two-layer composite shingles having an anterior layer 11, whichincludes two anterior tabs 16.

The anterior tabs 16 are surfaced with weather resistant or coloredgranules. The butt edges of the anterior tabs 16 can be curved orstraight and the anterior tab corners 19 can be cut or can be formed byright, obtuse or acute angles. In a preferred embodiment, the anteriortab corners 19 are cut as depicted in FIGS. 1-14.

Referring to FIG. 1( a), in another preferred embodiment, the breadth B1of each anterior tab 16 may be approximately 40.0% to about 90.0% thebreadth of the posterior tab and the height H1 of each anterior tab 16may be approximately 4½″ to approximately 8½″ inches. Each anterior tab16 is spaced to correspond to the underlying posterior layer 12. In yetanother preferred embodiment, referring to FIGS. 1-4, adjacent anteriortabs 16, 11, 13, and 14, are separated by approximately ¼″ toapproximately 1″.

The anterior headlap 13 is also surfaced with weather resistant orcolored granules and may also include at least one alignment notch 17positioned along the lower edge of the anterior headlap 13 in regionswhere anterior tabs 16 are not present. The anterior layer 11, which mayinclude at least one alignment notch 17, may be formed by a cuttingcylinder having a circumference that is a fraction of the two-layercomposite shingle length. The notch 17 preferably extends into theanterior headlap 13 by approximately 1.0″ to approximately 3.0″. In apreferred embodiment, the alignment notch 17 may be formed using a shapethat corresponds with the posterior tab corner 20 of the posterior tabs18. The colored granules of the anterior headlap 13 may be the sameshade as the anterior tabs 16.

Referring to FIG. 1( b), the posterior layer 12 comprises a plurality ofposterior tabs 18 extending from the posterior headlap 21. In thisembodiment, the posterior layer 12 comprises four posterior tabs 18. Theposterior tabs 18 are preferably surfaced with a second shade of weatherresistant or colored granules having a distinguishable hue or color fromthe first shade of the anterior tabs 16. The contrast in shade betweenthe posterior tabs 18 and the anterior tabs 16 can be accentuated byvarying the consistency of the weather resistant top coating, e.g. thedensity and/or size of granule deposition on either of these members.However, the shading of the colored granules are not a necessary elementof the present invention and therefore any shading scheme isappropriate.

The space 27 separating adjacent posterior tabs 18 can be preferablybetween about 1 1/16″ and about 1.0″ commensurate with the size of theposterior tabs 18 and the height and size of the roofing area. Thebreadth B2 of each posterior tab 18 preferably ranges from about 7½″ toabout 10¾″, and is most preferably 9″. The height H2 of each posteriortab 18 ranges preferably from about 6¾″ to about 10¼″, and is mostpreferably being 8½″. In a preferred embodiment, the posterior tabs 18are broader than overlying anterior tabs 16. Alternatively, a portion ofthe anterior tabs 16 may be broader than the underlying posterior tabs18. As a further alternative, the posterior layer 12 may include anundivided butt end.

The butt edge of the posterior tabs 18 can be curved or straight and thetab corners 20 can be cropped or can be formed by right, obtuse or acuteangles. In a preferred embodiment, the posterior tab corners 20 arecropped to correspond with the corners 19 of the overlying anterior tabs16. The butt edge of the posterior tabs 18 may carry a shadow tip 15which may be painted or imprinted horizontally across the tab bottommargin to provide a contrasting surface finish or texture. The shadowtip 15 may comprise granules having a third shade that contrasts withthe shading of the anterior tabs 16 and posterior tabs 18.

The posterior headlap 21, which underlies the anterior headlap 13, isonly partially exposed from the front view of the final shingle 10. Theposterior headlap 21 may be surfaced with weather resistant or coloredgranules and may include a shadow band 22 at the interface between theposterior headlap 21 and the posterior tabs 18 to simulate shadowing ordepth. The shadow band 22 may have a substantially unvaried widthranging from about 1½″ to about 2½″, preferably being 2″. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, the width of the shadow band may bevaried to provide a perception of irregularity. The shadow band 22 mayalso extend in the alignment notch 17 of the anterior headlap 13. Thecolor of the shadow band 22 can be the same as that of the shadow tip 15of the posterior tabs 18 or it can be a lighter or darker shade or hue;or the color of the shadow band 22 can be distinctly different tosimulate bulk, highlight, shadow or any other aesthetic affectachievable by contrast with the exposed areas of the posterior layer 12.

The posterior layer 12 is secured to the anterior layer 11 forming atwo-layer laminated or composite shingle 10. The anterior layer 11 ispositioned where the anterior tabs 16 are positioned on the posteriortabs 18, preferably where the anterior tabs 16 are positionedsubstantially centered on the posterior tabs 18 though this centering isnot necessary for the invention. The anterior layer 11 may alternativelybe positioned where the anterior tabs 16 are positioned on the posteriortabs 18, where the anterior tabs 16 are offset from the posterior tabs18. In a preferred embodiment, the posterior tabs 18 extend beyond thelower portion of the anterior tabs 16. In an even more preferredembodiment, the posterior tabs 18 extend approximately ¾ of an inchbeyond the anterior tabs 16.

FIGS. 15-18, depict side views of the positioning of the anterior layer11 on the posterior layer 12. Referring to FIG. 15, in a preferredembodiment of the present invention, the butt of the posterior tabs 18extend beyond the anterior tabs 16 and the anterior headlap 13 extendsbeyond the posterior headlap 21; forming stepped edges at the head andbutt of the two-layer composite shingle 10. Referring to FIG. 16, inanother embodiment of the two-layer composite shingle 10 the edges ofthe headlap 13, 21 of the anterior layer 11 and posterior layer 12 arealigned to one another forming a composite shingle having a flush headedge and stepped butt edge. Referring to FIG. 17, in another embodimentof the present invention, the posterior tabs 18 and posterior headlap 21of the posterior layer 12 extend beyond the overlying anterior layer 11.Referring to FIG. 18, in another embodiment of the two-layer compositeshingle 10 a posterior layer 12 having a shorter height is employed,where a greater portion of the anterior headlap 13 extends beyond theunderlying posterior layer 12.

Manufacturing of the inventive shingle embodiments is described withreference to the two-layer composite shingle. However, the two-layercomposite is used only as an example and the method of manufacturing isnot limited to this embodiment.

Manufacturing the two-layer composite shingle begins with applyinggranules to asphalt sheeting, where the granules can be blended toproduce the desired shading and then applied to the surface of theasphalt sheet. The granule laden asphalt sheet is then pressed in apress roll unit, such that the granules embed in the asphalt coating.The asphalt sheet is then cut to the desired shape. The cutting processfirst measures out 1 shingle length of material and then feeds themeasured amount into the cutting module. The cutting module preferablyincludes a rotary cutting cylinder with hardened steel tooling. Theanterior layer 11 pattern is cut using a fractional cutting cylinder,where the fractional cutting cylinder produces a pattern that is afraction of the shingle length. This provides a substantially repeatingpattern.

For example, if a fractional cutting cylinder circumference is 75% thelength of a single shingle and that cutting cylinder includes a pattern,that pattern will be repeated every forth shingle produced after thefifth rotation of the cutting cylinder. In a preferred embodiment thepattern extends across the entire cutting cylinder. The pattern mayfurther include an alignment notch 17. By utilizing a fractional cuttingcylinder circumference, the maximum amount of patterns for the minimumamount of diameter can be produced. The preferred cylinder circumferenceis between 1.25 and 1.75 greater than the length of a single shingle. Ina most preferred embodiment, one and a half of the cylinder pattern isused to cut each anterior layer 11 for each shingle 10. The posteriorlayer 12 is preferably cut using a non-fractional cylinder pattern.

Following cutting, the posterior layer 12 and anterior layer 11 arejoined. In broad terms, preferably, an adhesive is applied to theposterior layer 12 and/or anterior layer 11, where following theapplication of the adhesive, the posterior layer 12 and anterior layer11 are pressed together. The pressed posterior layer 12 and anteriorlayer 11 are then cut to a predetermined shingle length.

The inventive shingles are installed in overlapping courses.Installation of the inventive shingles are further described byreference to the two-layer composite embodiment as an example only. Theinventive shingle installed may have an anterior layer 11, having analignment notch 17, formed from a cutting cylinder having acircumference that is a fraction of the two-layer composite shinglelength. Upon installation of each course, the rear edge 29 of oneshingle 10 is positioned in abutment with the leading edge 28 of thesuccessive shingle. The courses overlap where the butt of a secondcourse of shingles cover the headlap 13 of the preceding course ofshingles, where the posterior tabs 18 of the singles of the secondcourse are offset from those of the preceding course.

In a preferred embodiment, the posterior tabs 18 of each shingle are ofequal height and are formed having cut right angled corners 20, wherethe corners of each adjacent posterior tab 18 form a triangular edge 26having an apex aligned with the space 27 separating adjacent posteriortabs 18. During installation the triangular edge 26 of the shingles inthe second course correspond to the alignment notch 17 in the anteriorheadlap 13 of the shingles in the underlying preceding course.

In another embodiment, the posterior layer of each shingle has cornersthat form a substantially right angle. This right angle corresponds to asubstantially square alignment notch of the anterior head lap of ashingle. During installation, the square alignment notch of a shinglealigns with the 90-degree edges of the corner of the posterior layer ofthe former shingle. The invention does not rely on the shape of thealignment notch and posterior corners. The corresponding shapes of eachalignment notch and corner provide for the efficient installation ofeach preceding shingle.

Additionally, the shadow band 22 of the posterior layer 12 of theshingles in the preceding course align with the shadow tip 15 at the endof the posterior tabs 18 of the singles in the second course to give theappearance of the depth present in bulkier roofing. FIG. 22 depicts thetwo-layer composite shingle 30 installed upon a portion of a roof.

A second embodiment of the present invention comprises a roof shinglewith at least one layer having a head lap and a butt, the head lapincluding at least one alignment notch and the butt including at leastone corner that corresponds to the alignment notch. The butt edge can becurved or straight and the corners can be cropped or can be formed byright, obtuse or acute angles to correspond to the alignment notch.

The roof shingle can be a single ply or multi-ply shingle. For example,a three ply shingle as shown in FIG. 23 can comprise an anterior layer“a”, a middle layer “b”, and a posterior layer “c”. The anterior layerincludes at least one alignment notch 230, in this case a square notch,and the posterior layer includes at least one corner corresponding tothe alignment notch. As shown in FIG. 24, the middle layer can alsocomprise at least one alignment notch 240 and/or at least one cornercorresponding to an alignment notch 242. Other multi-ply shingles can besimilarly comprised where any or all of the middle layers can compriseat least one alignment notch and/or corner corresponding to an alignmentnotch. The anterior layers of these multi-ply shingles can include atleast one alignment notch while the posterior layers can include atleast one corresponding corner. An example of a single ply embodiment isshown in FIG. 25 exhibiting an alignment notch 250 and a cropped cornerthat corresponds to such notch 252.

A third embodiment of the present invention comprises at least one layerformed from a cutting cylinder having a circumference that is a fractionof said roofing shingle length. This shingle can be single or multi-ply.An example of this embodiment for a two-ply laminate is shown in detailabove. By further example, a three layer shingle can comprise ananterior layer, a middle layer, and a posterior layer. The anterior andor a middle layer can be formed from said cutting cylinder having acircumference that is a fraction of its length. A two-layer shingle cancomprise a posterior layer and an anterior layer formed from a cuttingcylinder having a circumference that is a fraction of said two layercomposite roofing shingle length positioned on said posterior layer.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in formsand details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. It is therefore intended that the presentinvention not be limited to the exact forms and details described andillustrated, but fall within the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A roofing material comprising four adjacent shingles, each of thefirst, second, third and fourth adjacent shingles comprising: (a) aposterior layer having a posterior headlap and four posterior tabsextending therefrom, each posterior tab having a posterior tab corner;(b) an anterior layer having an anterior headlap, one or more anteriortabs extending from said headlap, and at least one alignment notchpositioned on a lower edge of the anterior headlap proximate theposterior tabs, wherein the total number of anterior tabs and notches onthe anterior layer is equal to the total number of posterior tabs; andwherein the anterior layer is positioned on the posterior layer in amanner such that each anterior tab is positioned substantially over thecenter of one of the respective four posterior tabs; and wherein, foreach posterior tab having no anterior tab positioned thereon, the atleast one alignment notch is positioned along the lower edge of theanterior headlap in substantially the center of the region where theanterior headlap lies over the posterior tab; wherein the posterior tabcorner forms an edge having substantially the same angle as an edge ofthe alignment notch; wherein each of the first, second and thirdadjacent shingles differ from each other based on the position of atleast one anterior tab with its respective posterior tab; and whereinthe first adjacent shingle and the fourth adjacent shingle are identicalbased on the positions of the one or more anterior tabs and the at leastone alignment notch, so that when installed, a pattern of varyinganterior tabs is created based on the location of the anterior tabs andthe at least one notch.
 2. The roofing material of claim 1, wherein theanterior headlap of each shingle comprises one anterior tab extendingtherefrom, and two alignment notches positioned on the lower edge of theanterior headlap.
 3. The roofing material of claim 1, wherein theanterior headlap of each shingle comprises two anterior tabs extendingtherefrom, and two alignment notches positioned on the lower edge of theanterior headlap.
 4. The roofing material of claim 1, wherein theanterior headlap of each shingle comprises three anterior tabs extendingtherefrom, and one alignment notch positioned on the lower edge of theanterior headlap.
 5. The roofing material of claim 1, wherein: the atleast one anterior tab further comprises granules having a first shadeand said plurality of posterior tabs further comprise granules of asecond shade; the posterior layer further comprises a shadow bandpositioned at an interface between the posterior tabs and the posteriorheadlap; the posterior tabs further comprise a shadow tip positioned ona lower edge of the posterior tabs; the shadow tip and shadow bandinclude granules having a third shade that is darker than said firstshade of the at least one anterior tab and the second shade of theposterior tabs.
 6. The roofing material of claim 1 wherein the at leastone anterior tab has a first breadth and the posterior tabs have asecond breadth, and wherein the second breadth is greater than the firstbreadth.
 7. The roofing material of claim 1 wherein the posterior tabsare separated by about 1.0 inch or less.